ZnS Heterostructure Research Articles

Construction of In2S3–In(OH)3–ZnS nanofibers for boosting photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

This research involved synthesizing In2S3–In(OH)3 nanosheets through a simple hydrothermal method at a low reaction temperature. The impact of different indium chloride concentrations on the morphology and crystal structure of In2S3–In(OH)3 nanostructures was investigated. The discussion extended to the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution of both In2S3–In(OH)3 nanosheets and nanofibers. These findings indicated that In2S3–In(OH)3 nanofibers exhibited optimal photocatalytic hydrogen production at various indium chloride concentrations. Furthermore, In2S3–In(OH)3–ZnS heterostructures were created by reacting In2S3–In(OH)3 nanosheets with varying concentrations of ZnS precursors. The study delved into the morphology and crystal structure, emphasizing photocatalytic hydrogen production in In2S3–In(OH)3–ZnS nanofibers under different concentrations of ZnS precursors. Remarkably, the In2S3–In(OH)3–ZnS nanofibers demonstrated exceptional hydrogen production efficiency, attributed to their larger specific surface area, improved blue light absorption, and reduced electron-hole pair recombination. Additionally, a comprehensive analysis explored the photocatalytic reaction mechanism, pH values, sacrificial reagents, sacrificial reagent concentrations, light source types, and intensities. These results highlighted the exceptional reusability of In2S3–In(OH)3–ZnS nanofibers in photocatalytic hydrogen production, showcasing their potential for cost-effective and highly efficient applications in diverse fields.

Enhancing photoelectrochemical performance of ZnO nanorods by forming ZnO–ZnS heterostructure via ion-exchange process

Enhancing photoelectrochemical performance of ZnO nanorods by forming ZnO–ZnS heterostructure via ion-exchange process

Coupling Reliable Interfacial Carrier Migration Channels with Visible-Light Response Antennas in ZnO-Based Heterostructure for Ameliorated Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation.

Engineering targeted and reliable charge transfer pathways in multiphase photocatalysts remains a challenge. Herein, we conceptualize the Cd@CdS-ZnO/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/ZnS heterostructures coupled with reliable carrier migration channels and visible-light response antennas by building rGO-integrated electrochemical nanoreactors and an ion-exchange process. In this ternary catalyst, the Cd clusters and rGO perform as charge relays to boost carrier transport via the Z-scheme route and accelerate photogenerated carriers to react with surface-adsorbed substances. Meanwhile, thanks to CdS, the heterostructures have photocatalytic properties under visible light illumination and can also inhibit self-corrosion by shielding Cd clusters to avoid disrupting charge transfer channels. Therefore, the special heterostructure demonstrates fascinating photocatalytic hydrogen production activity without the intervention of cocatalysts. This work provides a feasible protocol for improving the interfaces between metals and semiconductors to achieve efficient photocatalytic hydrogen generation.

Furnishing Continuous Efficient Bidirectional Polysulfide Conversion for Long-Life and High-Loading Lithium-Sulfur Batteries via the Built-In Electric Field.

Most catalysts cannot accelerate uninterrupted conversion of polysulfides, resulting in poor long-cycle and high-loading performance of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein, rich p-n junction CoS2 /ZnS heterostructures embedded on N-doped carbon nanosheets are fabricated by ion-etching and vulcanization as a continuous and efficient bidirectional catalyst. The p-n junction built-in electric field in the CoS2 /ZnS heterostructure not only accelerates the transformation of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), but also promotes the diffusion and decomposition for Li2 S the from CoS2 to ZnS avoiding the aggregation of lithium sulfide (Li2 S). Meanwhile, the heterostructure possesses a strong chemisorption ability to anchor LiPSs and superior affinity to induce homogeneous Li deposition. The assembled cell with a CoS2 /ZnS@PP separator delivers a cycling stability with a capacity decay of 0.058% per cycle at 1.0 C after 1000 cycles, and a decent areal capacity of 8.97 mA h cm-2 at an ultrahigh sulfur mass loading of 6 mg cm-2 . This work reveals that the catalyst continuously and efficiently converts polysulfides via abundant built-in electric fields to promote Li-S chemistry.

Dual function of rhodium photodeposition on ZnO/ZnS: Enhanced H2 production and photocorrosion suppression in water

It is widely known that semiconductors such as ZnO and ZnS tend to be unstable in water-splitting photocatalysis due to self-corrosion by the photogenerated charges under prolonged light irradiation. In this work, we demonstrate that proper engineering of photodeposition of Rh species on ZnO–ZnS heterostructure (ZnO/ZnS) can enhance their photocatalytic activity and secure their stability at the same time. During the Rh photodeposition, both electrons and holes generated on the surface of ZnO/ZnS contributed to the formation of Rh0 metal and Rh-oxides on its surface. Our results have shown that as little as 0.02 at.% of Rh photodeposition can dramatically increase the activity and reduce self-corrosion of ZnO/ZnS during photocatalytic H2 production from pure water. The average H2 production rate of our optimal catalyst was 0.05 at.%. Rh-loaded ZnO/ZnS was ∼5.31 mmol−1 g−1 h−1, reaching a maximum quantum efficiency of 22.9% at 365 nm.

Interfacial elaborating In2O3-decorated ZnO/reduced graphene oxide/ZnS heterostructure with robust internal electric field for efficient solar-driven hydrogen evolution

Solar-driven hydrogen evolution over ZnO-ZnS heterostructures is considered as a promising strategy for sustainable-energy issues. However, the industrialization of this strategy is still constrained by suppressed carrier migration, rapid charge recombination, and the inevitable utilization of noble-metal particles. Herein, we envision a novel strategy of successfully introducing In2O3 into the ZnO-ZnS heterostructure. Benefiting from the optimized internal electric field and the charge carrier migration mode based on the direct Z-scheme, the interfacial elaborating In2O3-decorated ZnO/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/ZnS heterostructure manifests smooth charge migration, suppressed electron–hole pair recombination, and increased surface active sites. More importantly, the in situ introduction of In2O3 optimizes the construction of the internal electric field, favoring directional light-triggered carrier migration. As a result, the light-induced electrons generated from the heterostructure can be efficiently employed for the hydrogen evolution reaction. Hence, this work would shed light on the in situ fabrication of noble-metal-free photocatalysts for solar-driven water splitting.

ZnF2/ZnS heterostructures@NC doped porous carbon nanofibers as interlayers for stable lithium metal anodes

Lithium (Li) metal is deemed as a promising anode for next-generation high-energy-density battery. However, the rebellious dendrites growth leads to the low Coulombic efficiency and safety hazards, which has been a key challenge in the application of Li metal anode. Herein, the ZnF 2 /ZnS heterostructures and N-doped carbon decorated porous carbon nanofibers (ZnF 2 /ZnS/NC/PCNFs) are fabricated through the electro-blow spinning (EBS), metal-organic framework (MOF)-assisted method, and carbonization process. And its application performances as coating functional interlayer of lithium metal batteries (LMBs) to suppress the Li dendrites growth are systematically researched. The conductive interconnected skeleton of NC/PCNFs provides convenient electrons/ions transmission channels and reduces local current density. The lithiophilic ZnF 2 and ZnS nanoparticles can trigger similar alloying reaction with Li-ions to guide the uniform Li deposition. In particular, the inbuilt electric field triggered at the interface of ZnF 2 /ZnS heterostructures improves charge transfer and surface reaction kinetics. Combining with these merits, the Li|LiFePO 4 (Li|LFP) cells with ZnF 2 /ZnS/NC/PCNFs deliver an optimal initial discharge capacity of 143.2 mAh g −1 and capacity retention rate of 93.6% after 600 cycles at 1 C. Moreover, the Li|Li symmetric cells show lower overpotential than that without the interlayer. Extraordinarily, the lithium-sulfur (Li|S) cells with ZnF 2 /ZnS/NC/PCNFs also display excellent cycle stability due to the strong captured or adsorbed ability to dissolved lithium polysulfides. All these results reveal that the utilization of the ZnF 2 /ZnS/NC/PCNFs interlayer provides new insight for protecting the Li metal anode and improving the electrochemical properties and safety of LMBs. • The ZnF 2 /ZnS/NC/PCNFs interlayer was successfully prepared. • The interlayer provided convenient ions/electrons transmission channel. • ZnF 2 /ZnS heterostructures could enhance the charge transfer kinetics. • The interlayer could inhibit the Li dendrites growth for LMBs and absorb lithium polysulfides for Li.|S batteries.

Bi2S3/ZnS heterostructures for H2S sensing in the dark: the synergy of increased surface-adsorbed oxygen and charge transfer

Bi2S3/ZnS heterostructures with increased surface-adsorbed oxygen and charge transfer in the dark were designed and used to achieve ppb level H2S detection at room temperature.

Enhanced CO2 photocatalytic conversion into CH3OH over visible‐light‐driven Pt nanoparticle-decorated mesoporous ZnO–ZnS S-scheme heterostructures

In the present contribution, the design and fabrication of Pt nanoparticle-decorated mesoporous ZnO–ZnS heterostructures were described and used effectively for photocatalytic CO2 conversion to yield CH3OH. TEM images of the mesoporous Pt/ZnS–ZnO heterostructure demonstrated spherical ZnO NPs ~20 nm, and Pt NPs ~3 nm were well dispersed on the porous ZnS–ZnO heterostructure. The formation of CH3OH over the Pt/ZnS–ZnO heterostructure was 78, 39 and 20 times larger than that bare ZnS, ZnO NPs and ZnS–ZnO, respectively. The optimal Pt/ZnO–ZnS heterostructure exhibited a high CH3OH formation rate of 81.1 μmolg-1h-1, which is about 44, 22 and 20 times larger than that of bare ZnS (1.86 μmolg-1h-1), ZnO (3.72 μmolg-1h-1), and ZnO–ZnS (4.15 μmolg-1h-1), respectively. The significantly enhanced reduction of CO2 was imputed to the synergistic effects of the ZnO–ZnS heterostructure and the incorporation of Pt NPs. The synthesized photocatalyst provides a new transfer route through which carriers can migrate to the outer surface as well as pore channels of the mesoporous ZnO–ZnS, therefore significantly minimizing the transfer distance for carriers, inhibiting photoinduced electron-hole recombination, and diminishing the mobility resistance, as determined using photoluminescence, photocurrent response, and electrochemical impedance spectra measurements.

Frequency stable dielectric constant with reduced dielectric loss of one-dimensional ZnO-ZnS heterostructures.

The synthesis of one-dimensional heterostructures having high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss has remained a great challenge. Until now, the dielectric performance of ZnO-ZnS heterostructures was scarcely investigated. In this work, large-scale ZnO-ZnS heterostructures were synthesized by employing the chemical vapor deposition method. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) confirms the formation of heterostructures. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that S atoms fill up the oxygen vacancy (VO) in ZnO, leading to the suppression of charge carrier's movement from ZnO to ZnS; instead there is charge transfer from ZnS to ZnO. Conductivity mismatch between adjacent ZnO and ZnS materials leads to the accumulation of free charges at the interface of the heterostructure and can be considered as a capacitor-like structure. The electrical behaviors of the potential phases of ZnO, ZnS and the ZnO-ZnS heterostructure are well interpreted by a best fitted equivalent circuit model. Each heterostructure acts as a polarization node with a specific flip-flop frequency and all such nodes form continuous transmission of polarization, which jointly increase the dielectric energy-storage performance. The orientational polarization of the polarons and Zn2+-VO dipoles present at the heterostructure interface contributes to the frequency stable dielectric constant at ≥103 Hz. Our findings provide a systematic approach to tailor the electronic transport and dielectric properties at the interface of the heterostructure. We suggest that this approach can be extended for improving the energy harvesting, transformation and storage capabilities of the nanostructures for the development of high-performance energy-storage devices.

Visible‐Light‐Induced Photochemical Hydrogen Evolution and Degradation of Crystal Violet Dye by Interwoven Layered MoS2/Wurtzite ZnS Heterostructure Photocatalyst

AbstractThe photocatalytic properties of a material predominantly depend upon the material fabrication. In the last few years, sulfide based nanomaterials were used for their extraordinary efficiency due to their structural and morphological features. Present work is focused on the preparation of bimetallic layered molybdenum‐wurtzite zinc sulfide heterostructure by facile hydrothermal method. The prepared MoS2−ZnS was characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET) surface analysis and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). MoS2−ZnS showed high photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and dye degradation compared to pure ZnS and MoS2. The synergistic effect of layered MoS2 and wurtzite ZnS would have amplified the photocatalytic HER activity and degradation of crystal violet dye under visible light irradiation; the electron‐hole recombination was significantly reduced due to the heterostructured arrangement of MoS2‐ wurtzite ZnS

Bimetal-organic Framework-derived Co9 S8 /ZnS@NC Heterostructures for Superior Lithium-ion Storage.

Heterostructure engineering of electrode materials, which is expected to accelerate the ion/electron transport rates driven by a built-in internal electric field at the heterointerface, offers unprecedented promise in improving their cycling stability and rate performance. Herein, carbon nanotubes with Co9 S8 /ZnS heterostructures embedded in a N-doped carbon framework (Co9 S8 /ZnS@NC) have been rationally designed via an in-situ vapor chemical transformation strategy with the aid of thiophene, which not only acted as carbon source for the growth of carbon nanotubes but also as sulfur source for the sulfurization of metal Zn and Co. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation shows an about 3.24 eV electrostatic potential difference between ZnS and Co9 S8 , which results in a strong electrostatic field across the interface that makes electrons transfer from Co9 S8 to the ZnS side. As expected, a stable cycling performance with reversible capacity of 411.2 mAh g-1 at 1000 mA g-1 after 300 cycles, excellent rate capability (324 mAh g-1 at 2000 A g-1 ) and a high percentage of pseudocapacitance contribution (87.5% at 2.2 mv/s) for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are achieved. This work provides a possible strategy for designing multicomponent heterostructural materials for application in energy storage and conversion fields.

Band alignment engineering: ultrabroadband photodetection with SnX2 (X = S, Se)/ZnS heterostructures

Ultrabroadband mid-frequency infrared photodetectors have important applications in surveillance, medical diagnosis, bioimaging and navigation aids. Thus, researchers hope to detect mid-infrared radiation with larger wavelength. However, due to the limitation of room temperature, it is difficult for these detectors to detect mid-infrared with 4 µm or larger wavelength. Therefore, at room temperature, how to realize mid-infrared detection in a wide range has become an urgent problem to be solved. In this paper, the band structure of SnX2 (X = S,Se)/ZnS and SnS2(1−ŋ)Se2ŋ/ZnS was studied by the density functional theory based first-principles methods. Under the specific stacking procedure, changing the of SnS2(1−ŋ)Se2ŋ, the band gap of heterojunctions can be continuously tuned from 0 to 0.97 eV. Amazingly, the band structure maintains the characteristics of a type-II heterojunction. The photodetection in our work is estimated for wavelengths from 1.2 µm to 10 µm, covering a wide wavelength range of mid-infrared. Such a wide range is considerable in current research. The characteristics of type-II band structure and the wide detection range imply that SnX2/ZnS has great potential in mid-frequency infrared detection. Our work may provide some breakthroughs for the research of multiband photodetectors at room temperature.

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of low cost synthesized Al doped amorphous ZnO/ ZnS heterostructures

Abstract ZnO/ZnS heterostructures have been grown for enhanced photo catalytic activity using Al doped amorphous ZnO. Amorphous nature of ZnO helps in increasing photo catalytic behavior through effective charge separation. Atomic force micrographs of Al/ZnO exhibit conversion of random spherical grains into linear arrangements on increasing concentrations. The roughness of ZnO/ZnS found to be decreases as compare to Al doped ZnO. The Photoluminescence (PL) intensity increases, might be due to oxygen vacancy in the sample usually and act as irradiative luminescence centre. The photo catalytic studies show that the degradation is very fast in Al–ZnO/ZnS. Doping of cation Al increases the absorption and at the same time ZnS also improves the lifetime of charge carrier due to its type two band alignment nature with zinc oxide.

Mesoporous Hollow Sb/ZnS@C Core–Shell Heterostructures as Anodes for High‐Performance Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Combining the advantage of metal, metal sulfide, and carbon, mesoporous hollow core-shell Sb/ZnS@C hybrid heterostructures composed of Sb/ZnS inner core and carbon outer shell are rationally designed based on a robust template of ZnS nanosphere, as anodes for high-performance sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). A partial cation exchange reaction based on the solubility difference between Sb2 S3 and ZnS can transform mesoporous ZnS to Sb2 S3 /ZnS heterostructure. To get a stable structure, a thin contiguous resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) layer is introduced on the surface of Sb2 S3 /ZnS heterostructure. The effectively protective carbon layer from RF can be designed as the reducing agent to convert Sb2 S3 to metallic Sb to obtain core-shell Sb/ZnS@C hybrid heterostructures. Simultaneously, the carbon outer shell is beneficial to the charge transfer kinetics, and can maintain the structure stability during the repeated sodiation/desodiation process. Owing to its unique stable architecture and synergistic effects between the components, the core-shell porous Sb/ZnS@C hybrid heterostructure SIB anode shows a high reversible capacity, good rate capability, and excellent cycling stability by turning the optimized voltage range. This novel strategy to prepare carbon-layer-protected metal/metal sulfide core-shell heterostructure can be further extended to design other novel nanostructured systems for high-performance energy storage devices.

Controlled synthesis of heterostructured Ag@AgI/ZnS microspheres with enhanced photocatalytic activity and selective separation of methylene blue from mixture dyes

Novel heterostructured Ag@AgI/ZnS microspheres were fabricated through a soft chemical route using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Their formation was confirmed by SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, and FTIR analyses, which revealed that the Ag@AgI/ZnS nanocomposites comprised Ag, AgI, and ZnS nanoparticles. Luminescence quenching in the Ag@AgI/ZnS nanocomposites indicated that the hetero-junction between Ag@AgI and ZnS effectively accelerated charge separation and transferred electrons from the AgI to Ag and ZnS nanostructures. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated via the decomposition of organic dyes and phenol oxidation under simulated sunlight irradiation. All the Ag@AgI/ZnS heterostructures exhibited better photocatalytic performance than the pure AgI and ZnS nanostructures. Ag@AgI–ZnS (5wt%) possesses the optimal photocatalytic degradation efficiency, and colorless phenol oxidation performance. More specifically, in the presence of the nanocomposite, 95% degradation rate was achieved within 80min of sunlight irradiation, while AgI, only reached 64.12%. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is associated with effective transfer and separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs at the interface of the Ag@AgI/ZnS nanocomposite because of their matching band positions. The nanocomposites exhibit good photocatalytic stability with almost no loss of photocatalytic activity after five recycles. These nanostructures show the best catalytic activity for selective separation of methylene blue (MB) dye from mixed organic dyes. Photocatalytic experiments with MB–RhB as the target pollutants, within 70min of irradiation time 96.44% of MB and 64.68% of RhB were degraded, and the rate constants were 0.044 and 0.013min−1 for RhB and MB, respectively. MB–MO as the target pollutant within 80min of irradiation time, 95.29% of the MB and 41.37% of the RhB were degraded. The rate constants were 0.031 and 0.005min−1 for MB and MO, respectively. This work will promote further interest in the fabrication of various heterostructured nanocomposites and their applications as sunlight-driven photocatalysts for purifying polluted water resources.

Quantum dot sensitized solar cell based on TiO2/CdS/CdSe/ZnS heterostructure

A cascade structure of TiO2/CdS/CdSe/ZnS quantum dot sensitized solar cell (QDSSC) is achieved to boost the photoconversion efficiency of TiO2/CdSe system by incorporating inner buffer layer of CdS. A sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant mediated TiO2 nanorods assembly is prepared by a simple hydrothermal technique. The formation of CdS, CdSe and ZnS thin film over TiO2 nanorods assembly as a photoanode is carried out by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) and chemical bath deposition (CBD) techniques. Thus synthesized electrode materials are characterized by XRD, XPS, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), TEM, High resolution-TEM (HR-TEM), STEM-EDS mapping, Optical and solar cell performances. The results designate that the thin film of CdS and CdSe have efficiently covered exterior surfaces of TiO2 nanorods assembly. The interfacial structure of TiO2/CdS/CdSe is also investigated and the growth interface is verified. A cautious evaluation between CdSe and CdS/CdSe sensitized cells tells that CdS helps to enhance the further growth of CdSe in the cascade electrodes and improves light harvesting. Under AM 1.5G illumination, the photoanodes show an improved power conversion efficiency of 2.56%, in an aqueous polysulfide electrolyte with short-circuit photocurrent density of 4.80mAcm−2 which is 18 times higher than that of a bare TiO2 nanorods assembly.

Recombination control in high-performance quantum dot-sensitized solar cells with a novel TiO2/ZnS/CdS/ZnS heterostructure.

Charge recombination occurring at the TiO2/QDs/electrolyte interface is a crucial factor that limits the power conversion efficiency (η) of quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). This paper presents a new approach by inserting a ZnS layer between the TiO2 and CdS/ZnS to prepare a TiO2/ZnS/CdS/ZnS sensitized photoelectrode for QDSSC applications. The CdS QDs and ZnS passivation layers were deposited using a reproducible and controlled successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method. The TiO2/ZnS/CdS/ZnS based QDSSCs exhibited a power conversion efficiency (η) value of 3.69%, which is significantly higher than the 3.02% and 2.09% observed for solar cells with a TiO2/CdS/ZnS device and without a passivation layer (TiO2/CdS), respectively. The elevated performance of the TiO2/ZnS/CdS/ZnS-based QDSSCs was attributed to the pre-assembled ZnS layer enhancing the light harvesting and acting as a blocking layer to shield the TiO2 core from the outer QDs and the electrolyte, thereby retarding the interfacial recombination of electrons from the TiO2 with the electrolyte or with the QDs. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and open circuit voltage decay measurements showed that the TiO2/ZnS/CdS/ZnS-based QDSSCs inhibit charge recombination remarkably at the photoanode/electrolyte interface and prolong the electron lifetime.

High-performance dye-sensitized solar cells based on morphology-controllable synthesis of ZnO-ZnS heterostructure nanocone photoanodes.

High-density and well-aligned ZnO–ZnS core–shell nanocone arrays were synthesized on fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrate using a facile and cost-effective two-step approach. In this synthetic process, the ZnO nanocones act as the template and provide Zn2+ ions for the ZnS shell formation. The photoluminescence spectrum indicates remarkably enhanced luminescence intensity and a small redshift in the UV region, which can be associated with the strain caused by the lattice mismatch between ZnO and ZnS. The obtained diffuse reflectance spectra show that the nanocone-based heterostructure reduces the light reflection in a broad spectral range and is much more effective than the bare ZnO nanocone and nanorod structures. Dye-sensitized solar cells based on the heterostructure ZnO–ZnS nanocones are assembled, and high conversion efficiency (η) of approximately 4.07% is obtained. The η improvement can be attributed primarily to the morphology effect of ZnO nanocones on light-trapping and effectively passivating the interface surface recombination sites of ZnO nanocones by coating with a ZnS shell layer.

Fabrication of transparent CuxZnyS/ZnS heterojunction diodes by photochemical deposition

AbstractA CuxZnyS/ZnS transparent pn heterostructure was successfully fabricated by the photochemical deposition (PCD) from aqueous solutions. In PCD, the substrate was immersed in the solution to a depth of about 2‐3 mm from solution surface, and irradiated with the light of an ultra‐high‐pressure mercury arc‐lamp through a lens. The growth solution of CuxZnyS contained 5 mM CuSO4, 1 mM ZnSO4, 600 mM Na2S2O3, and 3 mM Na2SO3. The growth solution of ZnS contained 1 mM ZnSO4, 600 mM Na2S2O3, and 3 mM Na2SO3. p‐type conduction of CuxZnyS and n‐type conduction of ZnS were confirmed by the photoelectrochemical measurement. Both the films had high optical transmission (>70%) in the visible range. The CuxZnyS/annealed‐ZnS heterostructure showed rectification properties and photoresponse to AM1.5 irradiation. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)